Indian mobile game publishing company Nazara Games today said it has signed a three-year deal with Moscow-based ZeptoLab to localise the popular mobile game 'Cut The Rope' and its character Om Nom for the Indian market.
'Cut the Rope' is one of the most popular mobile gaming brands worldwide and has over 750 million downloads worldwide since its launch. It has over 50 million monthly active users playing the game every month.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
"In India, 'Cut the Rope' has seen 10 million downloads and has one million monthly users. Our partnership would massify 'Cut the Rope' in India by bringing lot of local culture nuances inside the game besides localising the game to solve the unique infrastructure related challenges faced in Indian ecosystem," Nazara Games Chief Executive Officer Manish Agarwal told PTI.
Nazara expects that localisation will help in getting more than 50 million downloads for the franchise in Indian subcontinent over next 3-5 years, it added.
Apart from adding a local flavour, Nazara will also add vernacular languages to drive uptake of the game in India.
"At Nazara, we are excited about this partnership with Zeptolab and we are very confident that teams at Nazara and ZeptoLab will work towards giving 'Cut The Rope' loads of local cultural association to make it the most endearing gaming brand among millions of Indians who are going to be playing mobile games in coming years," Agarwal said.
Nazara has a presence in 41 countries and reaches out to more than 2 billion consumers across emerging markets in the world.
According to a FICCI-KPMG report, the mobile gaming industry in India is expected to touch Rs 2,620 crore by 2019, with a year-on-year growth of 20 per cent over the next five years helped by increasing penetration of smartphones and tablets.
The mobile gaming market has grown from Rs 820 crore in 2013 to Rs 1,070 crore in 2014, driven especially by more women gamers coming on board, it added.
"Indian market is growing fast and soon will become one of the biggest in the world. We are looking forward to giving our games and Om Nom a much bigger footprint here. Nazara's local success and experience with games and entertainment makes them the perfect partner for us," ZeptoLab CEO Misha Lyalin said.
